At the Integrated Health Center of Birnin Gueza in Maradi, a young mother named Amina stood uncertain as health workers approached. Her daughter, Salamatou, had never received a vaccine. Fear and hesitation lingered—until a conversation with Nana Nazifa Hamissou Garba, a UN Volunteer nurse deployed with the World Health Organization (WHO), changed everything. “I feel more confident now to protect my daughter against polio,” Amina said, her voice filled with relief. Amina’s story is just one of many unfolding across Niger, where the fight against polio rages on in the communities most at risk.
In June 2025, Dr. Mahamadou Nouri Kassimoune Tago and Nana Nazifa Hamissou Garba joined a cohort of 40 UN Volunteer Specialists supporting WHO's vaccination drive under the emergency response framework. Together, they work in districts where reaching children is both most urgent and most challenging—bringing not just vaccines, but trust and hope.
For one month, Dr. Kassimoune Tago, a public health specialist from Tahoua, was deployed to Bosso district in Diffa, an area affected by insecurity and cross-border movements.
His role was clear: support the district’s efforts to eradicate poliomyelitis. Each day, he supervised health centers, monitored vaccination teams, and ensured temperature-controlled storage and distribution of vaccines. He led checks to detect cases of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) and other vaccine-preventable diseases, while coordinating independent monitors and evaluators to guarantee objective results.
The impact was concrete: All health centers in Bosso district were supervised; 14 vaccination teams were monitored; and 12 unvaccinated children were identified and vaccinated during house-to-house follow-up. He also worked to rebuild trust with hesitant communities through local dialogues.
Security risks were constant, with limited mobility due to threats of attacks and kidnappings. “We had to collaborate closely with local authorities and security forces to protect teams and keep campaigns on track,” Kassimoune explains.
His supervisor, Adamou Amadou, WHO Regional Coordinator in Diffa, emphasized: “Kassimoune's ability to navigate security challenges while coordinating across different actors made it possible to carry out the polio eradication activities in Diffa effectively.”
In Maradi, Nana Nazifa Hamissou Garba, a nurse by training, took on the role of Polio Outbreak Response Officer in Gazaoua district. Her daily work included listening to parents, addressing concerns, and accompanying vaccination teams in the field. She verified records, checked vaccine vials, monitored household visits, and oversaw temperature-controlled storage and distribution of vaccines. She also spoke directly with families to dispel misinformation and build confidence in vaccination.
It was during one of these visits that Nazifa met Amina, whose daughter had never been vaccinated. After their exchange, Salamatou received her first dose, a small but powerful step in protecting a child and changing community attitudes.
UN Volunteers step in as Niger faces Polio threat
The service of UN Volunteers came at a critical time: Niger had recently reported 2 cases of Circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2), highlighting the urgent need for synchronized vaccination campaigns across the Lake Chad Basin. Kassimoune and Nazifa helped health teams keep going—despite fear, tough terrain, and limited resources—by leading vaccination drives, speaking with families, and staying alert to new risks. Their impact wasn’t just technical. In places where trust can mean the difference between protection and vulnerability, UN Volunteers became more than health workers—they became messengers of hope and peace.
Vaccination, they reminded communities, is not just a shot in the arm—it’s a promise to protect every child. Alongside 38 other UN Volunteers across Niger, Kassimoune and Nazifa are supporting to end polio—one team, one household, one child at a time.
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